The use of dish-type antennas for transmitting and receiving signals between a ground location and an airborne communications satellite is well-known. Antennas typically have four structural components: a parabolic antenna reflector, an antenna feed boom, an antenna feed, and an antenna pedestal. The parabolic antenna reflector functions much like a parabolic mirror: the reflector collects microwave signals transmitted from an airborne satellite, and reflects the signals toward the antenna feed. The parabolic shape of the reflector operates to focus the microwave signals so that they converge at the reflector's focal point. An antenna feed boom is attached to the base of the reflector, and the boom serves to position the antenna feed at the focal point of the reflector. The antenna feed houses electronics that transmit and receive the microwave signals. Positioning the antenna feed at the focal point of the parabolic reflector allows the antenna feed to receive a focused microwave signal from a transmitting satellite. The antenna pedestal provides rigid structural support to the reflector, feed, and feed boom.
Typically, the antenna reflector should be on the order of 2 to 6 feet in diameter. In order to minimize distortion in transmission and reception, the reflector's parabolic shape must be held to extremely close tolerances. Once the antenna's parabolic dish focuses on the satellite, the antenna must remain focused on the satellite to maintain effective transmission and reception of the signals. Thus, the dish must be very rigid, and the antenna pedestal must also provide a rigid mounting that minimizes movement of the dish antenna due to external forces, such as wind.
When permanently installed in the ground, the antenna pedestal supports the antenna sufficiently to maintain effective transmission and reception. But portable antennas, which can be readily moved from location to location, provide a significant challenge. Portable antennas are frequently used in mobile television broadcast, such live coverage of concerts, sporting events, and news events in remote locations. In the past, antennas have been directly mounted onto the bed of a carrier vehicle, such as a truck or a flat-bed trailer. Mounting the antenna directly to the bed of a trailer or a truck increases the likelihood that the antenna will move during use due to the vehicle suspension's response to external forces acting on the antenna or on the truck bed on which it is mounted. The likelihood of movement increases when the truck or trailer bed also supports an equipment housing. Operators working with the equipment frequently create vibrations, which may be transmitted to the antenna. Mobile antennas must be relatively small and light in order to facilitate quick set-up and tear-down by a minimum of personnel; however minimizing the antenna's size and weight also makes it difficult to securely anchor and stabilize the antenna.
A number of mobile satellite antenna designs are well known in the prior art. However, each design has its shortcomings. In particular, mobile antenna designs that rely on frame-mounted stabilizing arms or outriggers frequently allow vibration and forces imparted upon the frame to be transmitted to the antenna. Additionally, prior designs providing for a collapsible antenna often suffer damage to the reflecting dish, antenna feed and electronic components during off-road transportation. Transporting the antenna over rugged terrain subjects the antenna components to significant jarring and shaking, which may result in breakage or damage. Likewise, the electronics external to the antenna feed, such as amplifiers, decoders, and other components, require protection from damaging forces that may be imparted upon them during transportation. Prior mobile antennas provide frame-mounted electronics cabinets, which house integrated electronics racks. Typically, the electronics racks are mounted to the interior of the electronics cabinets. In this arrangement, severe jarring forces or vibrations that are imparted on the vehicle chassis during transportation are transferred directly to the electronic components, and the components may be damaged or destroyed.